The friendship and mutual trust between Russia and Vietnam that have stood the test of time serve as a firm foundation to build bilateral ties in trade, economic, investment, technological and military areas.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov made the remarks in an article by Elizaveta Isakova, which was carried by the Voice of Russia Radio on July 25, on the occasion of Lavrov’s official visit to Vietnam .

The article said Minister Lavrov’s visit with a busy schedule reflects a high level in the bilateral relationship, which it has experienced 60 years and various challenges.

Vietnam has been a strategic partner of Russia in the Asia-Pacific region, the report said, citing the growth rate of 30 percent in two-way trade last year, which reached 1.5 billion USD, as a proof.

According to the article, oil and gas remains a key field in cooperation between the two countries. The Vietsovpetro joint venture has operated in Vietnam over the past 30 years and just received a noble award conferred by the Vietnamese State .

Another Russian-Vietnamese oil and gas joint venture, Rusvietpetro, was established recently in Russia and will explore oil and gas in the Yamalo-Nenetshki region.

At present, the two countries are sparing no efforts to expand their cooperation into other spheres such as power, automobile manufacturing, transport and telecommunications.

The article noted that Russia and Vietnam also hold promising prospects for cooperation in atomic energy for peaceful purposes, which is proved in a memorandum of understanding signed on July 25 between the Russian State Atomic Energy Corporation, Rosatom, and the Ministry of Science and Technology of Vietnam.

Foreign Minister Lavrov revealed that during his talks with Vietnamese leaders, he informed Moscow ’s willingness to increase scholarships for Vietnamese students to study in Russia./.